Silent Protector
by silentprotector
Summary: Percy loses that which he holds most dear. In anguish he makes a vow. Then the Fates appear to guide the gods. Will Percy find a new purpose or will he fall into dispair? Rated T and up.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – The End

It wasn't supposed to end this way. He never thought it was possible they had made it through a whole war, amnesia, and Tartarus. They had defeated all the giants and had successfully avoided becoming blood sacrifices for Gaea or so they thought. The gods had shown up shortly after the doors of death were closed at the house of hades. They attacked the giants the following day, having paired up different gods with different members of the seven. Percy was working with Artemis, Jason was with Neptune, Frank was with Pluto, Annabeth was with Jupiter, Piper was with Apollo, Hazel was with Mars and Leo was the only one paired up with his father Hephaestus. The hunters of Artemis had arrived and they along with Nico were working with the minor gods to destroy the lesser giants that were born to defeat minor deities. They had destroyed them all, every giant. Some had begun to celebrate thinking it was all over. That's when things went wrong. Percy had just turned to see where Annabeth was when something, no someone, rose up in front of him.

"Gaea" he stated calmly.

"Perseus Jackson you have driven me to drastic measures. As you know I intended to use you and your precious girlfriend as the sacrifice for my full awakening. However due to the sudden turn of events I found the need to use mere mortals to awaken, but I believe you will wish it had been you." Gaea smirked

"And why is that" Percy stated shaking.

"Because it was your mother and stepfather for whom you cared deeply." She laughed.

"You're lying"

"I swear it on the Styx. They are dead and I killed them." The reaction was instantaneous. Percy lunged forward knocking Gaea to the ground when they rose; they both pulled out their weapons. Percy uncapped riptide and Gaea created a blade of earth. Then they began to fight. It was one-sided. Gaea was no match for the young demigod. She may have been powerful but Percy's rage put him over the edge. Gaea could not get a strike on him. She realized she was losing so she decided to play dirty. A hand of earth rose from the ground and suddenly there was a scream. Percy froze.

"You didn't." he said quietly

"Oh, but I did, young hero." Gaea said with a twisted smile. Percy stopped thinking. He just reacted. He attacked; his swings were precise and powerful. Five strikes later Gaea's immortal body was decapitated on the earthen ground and slowly being surrounded with water. Soon the body was contained within a ball of water that froze as it rose into the air. Percy turned around to look at all the gods and demigods that were frozen in shock the whole exchange. He walked up to his father who reverted to Poseidon upon seeing his Greek son.

"She is under your control now." Percy said quietly. His father nodded. Percy turned and walked toward Athena and Apollo who had broken out of their stupor and were both kneeling on the ground. Percy kneeled as well.

"P-Percy, you… you did it." Annabeth coughed.

"Sh, sh, don't strain… everything will be alright. Apollo is going to make it all better." Annabeth laughed.

"w-we both know it is t-too late for that." Annabeth reached up a hand and cupped his cheek and wiped away a tear with her thumb. "Percy, this is not your fault. Look at me; I do not blame you for this."

"Annabeth, I- I love you so much, my wise girl." He kissed her forehead.

"Percy, my seaweed brain, I love you too." She pulled him down and their lips met. It was a chaste kiss, simple and sweet, but it held more passion than any other kiss they had ever shared. It was their final goodbye. Percy held her to him in a hug as he watched the life drain out of her. Finally her chest stopped moving and her heart stopped.

"I love you" he whispered again as he closed her eyes and gently placed her body back on the ground. He stood and walked away. No one followed him. Soon he found a glen a ways away from all the others. He sat on a fallen log, her last moments replaying through his head. _This is not your fault._ She said. But it was his fault. _I do not blame you for this_. But he blamed himself for this. He didn't ever want to speak again he wanted his last words to be his undying love for Annabeth. It was his fault that Gaea killed her. It should have been him. So he would not speak again not to anyone. In his head he thought _I swear on the river Styx I will never speak again._ Thunder rumbled in the distance the deal was struck. Percy pulled out his hunting knife that he kept in case of emergencies. He thought of his promise. Never would he speak again and just to make sure he couldn't renege, he cut out his tongue. His mouth filled with blood. He took the small flask of nectar he had with him and gargled it. He felt the area around the base of his tongue heal. There was enough left to be able to swallow naturally, but there was no way he could ever speak. He stood. His silence would be his last respect. That was when Thalia found him.

"Percy!" she exclaimed "we have been looking everywhere for you. Don't you dare run off like that."

He looked at her and smiled. He held his arms open for a hug. She hugged him tightly and cried. Percy gently rubbed circles on her back as he let her grieve, tears rolling down his face. Eventually they had no more tears to cry. They rose and together they returned to where the others were. As one they were all teleported to Olympus. The gods had decided that the safest place to keep Gaea was in the sky hovering just over the ocean. Thus if she did break free then she would be completely separated from her element and could be more easily subdued. The six of the seven were called forward along with Nico and Thalia. Each was offered full immortality and all but Percy accepted. When they asked him if he had a different wish all he did was nod, but made no effort to speak. The gods began to become frustrated. Then suddenly the throne room was filled with light. When the light cleared the fates were left in its place.

"Our hero has made a grave vow." They said as one. "And as such for the moment we shall speak for him. His wish is that Lady Hestia and Lord Hades be returned to the Olympian council and that you place him somewhere where his skills can be put to use. You may choose where to put him but we the fates decree he must not be placed at either of the camps. We have seen his fate if he is placed there. He will do nothing but more self-harm. Isn't that right Perseus?" Percy nodded and looked at his feet. The gods looked like they had been hit with a ton of bricks. Artemis was the first to get over her shock

"What grave vow? What self-harm?" she asked.

"Master Jackson has sworn never to speak again and to be sure he could keep that promise he has cut out his own tongue."

"Why would he being at camp cause him to hurt himself?" Poseidon asked.

"Camp is full of activities but no one can keep an eye on the young hero. He will brood and in his brooding he will believe that he needs to be punished further and will begin to harm himself. Therefore you must find him a job that will keep him busy and on his toes." The fates stated simply. The gods were stunned. The fates had never before done this on behalf of anyone. They all glanced over at Percy who was still staring intently at his shoes as if they were the most amazing thing he had ever seen. "Perseus Jackson, we the fates have watched your string with great interest. It has interwoven with many different strings and we were greatly saddened when we were forced to cut your love's string. Yet even now your string is intertwining with many others. You have a long life ahead of you. Do not waste it." Percy looked up at the fates and nodded, a small flicker of a smile adorned his face before he quickly returned his gaze to the floor. Then with a flash the fates were gone. The gods looked at Percy and sighed.

"Percy, could you kindly wait outside while consider your request. The first shall most certainly be granted. The second it would seem shall take some pondering." Surprisingly it was Hera who spoke. Percy looked up and nodded then turned and left the throne room. The other demigods who had received their rewards asked the gods what they should do. The gods asked if they had any suggestions. And Thalia stepped forward.

"Lords and Ladies, please do not strike me down as this is merely a suggestion, but the Fates said that he needed to have a job that would not allow for much idle time. I can only think of one." The gods nodded for her to continue. "That would be the Hunt. I know that men are not allowed and I, being a member, admit that it would be appalling to have a male join, but Percy… Percy is different. He would not ever dream of hurting any of the girls. And it would certainly keep him busy. I do not say this is the only option but it is the only one that I can think of. I am sorry if I have insulted you my lady, but this is what I believe. Thank you for hearing me out." With that she turned and walked out of the throne room to find her cousin with the rest of the immortals following after her. After they had all left Athena turned to Artemis and spoke softly.

"I believe your lieutenant is correct. It is the only option that I see as well."

"As much as this pains me, I agree. Father if you agree I will accept Perseus as the guardian of my hunt. " Artemis stated firmly.

" I agree, but we shall put it to a vote." The vote was unanimous. "Lady Hestia would you like to go retrieve our young hero." Hestia nodded and left. She returned shortly with the sea prince. "Perseus Jackson, after a short discussion we have come to a unanimous decision that you shall become the guardian of the hunt, a silent protector, and the first and only male member of the hunters of Artemis. Do you accept?" Percy looked over at Artemis, eye wide as if to ask are you sure. Artemis nodded. Percy nodded to Zeus in acceptance. "Alright, then I, Zeus, King of the gods hereby proclaim that Perseus Jackson Son of Poseidon, Savior of Olympus shall be the immortal(in the same manner as the hunters) guardian of the hunt and all of its members and shall be expected to uphold the same etiquette as the hunters. Do you Perseus Jackson swear upon the River Styx they you will swear off women and protect the hunt for as long as you live? I believe the Styx will accept a nod." Percy nodded and thunder rumbled. Percy looked from Zeus to his father to Artemis then to Athena where his gaze stayed for a long time. He slowly walked up to her throne and bowed deeply. No one spoke. They all understood. He was trying to convey in one action his final goodbye to Annabeth and his apology to Athena that he could not protect her. He did not rise until he felt a hand underneath his chin. When he looked up it was into those stormy grey eyes. Athena pulled him into a hug and whispered words of forgiveness into his ear. Finally they broke apart. Percy turned to Artemis and bowed shortly. He was ready. He would be the guardian of the hunt. The silent protector.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Hungry

As soon as the meeting had finished, Hades approached Percy and pulled him away to a garden adjacent to the throne room. "I spoke with your mother and she accepted a position at the judge's table. Paul has accepted to be a fill-in judge whenever one of the judges needs a break. They are both very happy and wanted me to tell you that they love you and don't want to see you anytime soon." Percy smiled and nodded in response. "I also saw Annabeth." Percy's smile disappeared. "She told me to tell you that she loves you very much and hopes that you have a long and happy life. She also told me to tell you that it is ok for you to fall in love again. She said she will understand. She also wanted to ask your permission to go for rebirth. She said that if you wanted her to wait for you she would wait. I believe she has her eyes set on the isle of the blessed." Percy eyed Hades as he mulled over Annabeth's message. He wanted her to be happy and he didn't know how long it would be before he joined her in the underworld. He knew he had to let her go. He looked up at Hades to signify he had made his decision. Hades laughed "You being a mute is going to be quite the challenge for everyone to swallow. You have always been an outspoken lad. Ok, nod yes for rebirth and no for wait." Percy firmly nodded yes as a tear rolled down his face. Hades pulled the young hero into a hug. "It will be alright. You are going to be alright. I know it is hard now but you have to hold on. Be strong, my nephew. There will be better days. Now, you have a new job to do. Remember that many of the girls that you are about to spend the rest of your life with have hated the male species for years. Therefore, just in case you need a quick escape I give you my blessing to be able to hide in the shadows." Percy smiled as the lord of the dead took his leave and shadow traveled away to his home territory. As Percy turned to find his new charge he was approached by another god.

"Hello, nephew." Lord Zeus said politely. Percy was confused. Why were the gods being so nice to him? Either his face was easy to read or the king of the gods was spying on his thoughts because Zeus replied with "Contrary to popular belief, we really do care about you, Perseus. You have caused each of the gods to change in some form or another. Therefore, I have decided to give you the ability to change your form into one animal of your choice. Just think it and I will know it." Percy thought for a moment. There were several animals he would like to change into if he could, but as he thought there was one that truly stood out from all the rest. He imagined himself as a raven-furred wolf with sea-green eyes and a grey stripe from his time holding the sky. "A wolf, interesting choice seeing as you will be joining the hunt. Good luck, Perseus. Stand firm." And with that he flashed out as Percy averted his eyes. Percy then took off to find the goddess of the moon. He found her waiting patiently on her throne, with his father speaking with her in hushed tones. As he approached, they quickly cut off and turned to speak with him. Percy bowed to both of them before waiting for further instructions. Poseidon came over and gave Percy a big hug and whispered into his ear that he was always welcome to come and visit if Lady Artemis would allow him a break in his duties.

"Are you ready, Perseus?" Artemis asked. Percy looked from the goddess to his father pleading that he would understand.

"Actually, Lady Artemis, Percy prefers to be called Percy." His father voiced as Percy nodded in relief. Artemis laughed quietly

"Of course, Percy, Are you ready to meet the hunt?" Percy nodded. _No time like the present._ "Then we are off. Oh, before I forget, my father told me of his blessing. What animal did you choose?" Percy focused on himself becoming a wolf and he felt himself slowly morph into one. "A wolf is a fine choice; it may help a male like you keep up with the hunt. You may change back now." As soon as he was human again Artemis teleported them both to central park. "Come, the hunters will be waiting." Percy followed quietly behind his new mistress and charge. They came upon the camp fairly quickly. The girls seemed to have settled back into a normal routine, although they had just returned from the war. Thalia was the first to notice that they had arrived. She ran up to them and gave Percy a hug.

"You took my idea?" She asked incredulous. Artemis laughed.

"It was a good idea." Artemis replied. "Now, let's introduce young Perseus to the rest of the hunt." Percy glanced at Artemis. "I mean Percy." _this is going to take a while_, Percy thought. They made their way over to the center of camp where the hunters had built a campfire. "Hunters, gather round." After all of the hunters were settled, most watching Percy with distaste, Artemis began to explain about the reward ceremony and how Thalia was now the hunt's full immortal lieutenant. The girls all congratulated Thalia on the achievement. Then one asked why a boy was in camp.

"Ah, yes. You all know Percy Jackson, correct?" there were nods all around. "You are also aware that he was in love with Annabeth Chase the architect of Olympus?" there were more nods. "As you know she lost her life in the battle against Gaea this morning."

"This doesn't explain why _Perseus_ is here" Phoebe said with venom clear in her voice. At this Percy stood up abruptly and ran off into the woods. He couldn't hold it together anymore. If he stayed they would see him cry. He would not cry in front of them. That would be weak. It wasn't like they wanted him there anyway. Their glares at him upon arrival made that clear. He sat down in the next clearing knowing that Artemis would be able to sense where he was. He changed into a wolf and howled to let out his frustration. He howled for what felt like an eternity. He was sure it was a good amount of time as he was howling he was aware of someone standing at the edge of the clearing watching him. When he stopped Thalia stepped out of shadows and approached him.

"Percy?" she asked. "Is that you?" Percy nodded not bothering to change back. He lay down with his head on his front paws. "You can turn into a wolf? That is totally awesome!" Thalia walked up to him and sat down using his side as a backrest. They sat like that for a while just enjoying each other's presence. Percy knew full well that Artemis was explaining to everyone why he was here. They were his babysitters to make sure he didn't make any rash decisions. Then Thalia pulled him out of his thoughts "I know that this is going to be hard, for you and for us. The hunters are going to need some time to adjust and accept that there might be a male that isn't a jerk. You convinced Zoe in a week. I'm sure that the hunters will care for you like one of their own soon." Percy raised his head and turned to look at the lieutenant. "Ok, it may take some time, but someday…" Thalia trailed off. They sat in silence again. "You're not going to do anything stupid, are you?" Percy thought about it for a minute. He had told Hades to tell Annabeth she could go for rebirth. He had no reason to 'do anything stupid.' He shook his head firmly 'no.' Thalia sighed in relief "Good, because I don't know what I would do if I lost you so soon after Annabeth." Percy hadn't thought about how Annabeth's death had affected Thalia. She was acting so strong, but she must be as heartbroken as he was. He quietly nuzzled his snout into her hand as if to say it's going to be alright, I'm not going anywhere. "We should probably get back. Did you want to change back?" Percy shook his head no. They might be a little more accepting if he wasn't blaring out 'man.' Perhaps being a wolf would help. Either way he couldn't talk. They took of back for camp. Upon arrival Artemis came up and told Percy that the hunt had accepted the reason that he was here, but informed him that the hunt said they would kill him without a thought if he offended any of them. Percy just nodded. Then Thalia showed him to his tent. He changed back to a human and went to sleep. He dreamed of all the good times he had with Annabeth, but his last dream was of her death. He woke in a cold sweat at five in the morning. He walked outside and sat by the dying embers of the fire. He was there for maybe five minutes when the fire suddenly reignited and out of the flames stepped Hestia, goddess of the hearth and Percy's favorite goddess. She sat down next to him on the stump and they watched the flames together for a time.

"How are you today Percy?" she asked. Percy shrugged. "I came to thank you for getting Hades and I back our places on the council. I know that Hades already blessed you and I came to ask you if you would be my champion. You would be my first." Percy smiled and eagerly nodded his consent. Hestia was in her eight year old form and gave Percy a big hug excitedly. Percy laughed. The eldest child of Kronos always knew how to make him smile. She smiled and blessed him. "Ok, I think you are going to be able to produce home-cooked food and fire." Percy tried. He imagined blue waffles just like his mom made them. They appeared on a plate in his hands. He tried one and smiled. He offered one to Hestia as well. "These are delicious!" she exclaimed. They heard some hunters starting to move around. Hestia said goodbye and promised to visit every once and a while. Percy found a tent that seemed to me the mess hall and started to produce plates of blue waffles. Maybe if he made breakfast, they could start off on a better foot than they did last night. When he had finished setting the table he returned to his place by the fire and changed into a wolf and lay down. Artemis was the first to leave her tent. She passed the fire on the way to the food tent. Percy raised his head and nodded to her. She smiled and went into the tent to eat. About ten seconds later she stepped back outside and stared at him in surprise. Percy laughed. As a wolf it turned out that laughing sounded like a mix between a bark and a growl. Artemis shook her head and went back inside. Soon after the other hunters joined her. He nodded to each as they passed. He had better hearing as a wolf and all of the hunters were complimenting the food. They didn't realize that he had made breakfast, so when they thanked Lady Artemis for breakfast they were all surprised to discover that Percy was the culprit. They reluctantly came outside and thanked the wolf for breakfast. Percy nodded. A thank you, albeit grudgingly, was more than he expected. As the hunters began to go about their daily routine Percy's wolf instincts kicked in. He sensed a small herd of deer a mile away grazing. He realized he was really hungry for meat. He had been lying lazily by the fire all morning but was suddenly filled with energy. He tore off in the direction of the herd, a blaze of black across the plain. His path led him through the hunter's archery range and he was vaguely aware that the hunters were disgruntled by the interruption but he couldn't focus on them for long. He was also aware that someone was shouting for him to stop, but he couldn't listen. Soon he had reached the clearing the deer were in; he began to stalk around the edge of the clearing to get closer to a young buck that had a leg injury. Just as he was preparing to pounce a voice echoed in his mind. _Perseus, where are you?_ Percy ignored the voice and got ready to attack. _Percy! What are you doing?_ Percy imagined his teeth at the throat of the buck. _Percy, you need to ask before you hunt!_ Percy saw himself as a wolf with his stomach growling in hunger. _Fine, just this once. Next time, you need to ask first. _ With permission granted, Percy leaped from his spot onto the back of the injured buck. His teeth latched onto the back of the deer's neck while his claws dug into the buck's sides. His human side took back over as he tasted the blood and he quickly clamped down with his powerful jaws breaking the poor animal's neck. Death was immediate. The other deer from the herd had relocated to a different clearing the moment Percy had broken out of the woods to attack. Percy had lost the exhilaration from the kill. For a moment he just stared at the deer not knowing what to do. He decided the best thing would be to bring it back to camp. He somehow managed to get the deer draped over his back with one leg in his mouth so he was partially dragging it and partially carrying it. When he was reached the edge of the plain where the hunters were practicing, he cautiously made his way out of the forest. When the hunters noticed his movement they immediately aimed at him. In fearful submission, Percy lowered himself to the ground trying to be as small as possible.

"It is just Percy, gals." One of the hunters grumbled. They all looked at him with distaste and returned to their practice. Percy slowly made his way around the hunters carefully skirting around behind them in an effort not to bother them. When he got back to camp, Lady Artemis approached him.

"I am not going to lecture a wolf, change back." Percy obediently did. "That was very dangerous, Percy. You can't just run off like that. You are a son of Poseidon. Your scent could have attracted a monster and you would be all alone." Percy hung his head. He had already disappointed Artemis. "Don't let it happen again." Percy nodded. "On a better note you did very well. It is rare for a wolf to take down a buck on their first try. Let alone by its lonesome. Wolves hunt in packs. Perhaps you could learn to hunt with them. I would be more inclined to let you go off with the wolves than by yourself." Percy smiled and nodded his thanks. "Do you know how to butcher a deer? No? Well, today's your lucky day." With that they lugged the deer to the edge of the clearing and Artemis gracefully butchered the deer explaining each step carefully to Percy. Later as they were storing the meat, "I know and understand your reasons for not wishing to speak, but to communicate have you considered learning sign language? There is something unsettling about having a one-sided conversation all the time." Percy nodded that he would be willing and Artemis said she would get him some lesson books on it.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: ok I want to thank all of you for your supportive reviews and critiques. I have a feeling that the passage of time will throw people off a little in this story so bear with me. Sorry about the week delay on updating, I had a paper due and it took forever to write. NOTE: Percy "talking" is Percy speaking in sign language. Thought is in _italics_ whoever it may be and Artemis already knew sign language from a deaf demigod she had in the hunt once as does Chiron. Most of the story has been a mix of Percy's pov and third person. I'm going to try to add in some more pov's but I'm not very good at it. **Warning:** mentions of abuse/rape.

Read on

Chapter 3- On Speaking Terms

It had been a month. The hunter's camp seemed to settle into a routine. Percy would make meals and do any other chores that Artemis assigned for him to do and in the evening he and Thalia would practice sign language. They were getting pretty good. They would invite the other hunters to join them but they always said no. They had been given a few missions so the hunt hadn't been idle. Mostly they had been taking out packs of hellhounds or earthborn. Simple stuff really. Percy hadn't really participated due to the fact that he couldn't even shoot an arrow forward. Every day Thalia or Artemis would try to teach him how to shoot a bow. It was not going well. At night he would have nightmares of his time in Tartarus or Annabeth's death and wake up in a cold sweat usually around four in the morning. He would go to a clearing and practice his swordsmanship until he knew that the hunters would be waking up and Artemis would be returning from her nightly journey. He never practiced in front of them. He knew they disapproved of him and he didn't want to encroach on their practice. He spent the first week as a wolf all day long. It gave him time to get used to his new body and it also helped the hunters get used to his presence. He would hunt every once and a while with the hunter's wolves whom had accepted him immediately. He slowly stayed human more often until he was only a wolf when he wanted to be. Today was different though. Last night he had had a nightmare about smelly Gabe. It was of the first time Gabe had taken him. He had been seven years old. His mom had been working late and Gabe was drunk. It had started out like most nights, with the beatings, but Gabe wasn't satisfied with that. He wanted more. So he took it. Percy tried to fight back, but Gabe just tied him down. Percy had cried the whole night. He told his mom he had only had a bad dream. It had been one of the horrors that he had to relive in Tartarus. Annabeth was the only one who ever knew. So here he was creating ice dummies out of the water nearby and attacking them full force. He had tears streaming down his face as he cut down his imaginary enemy. He didn't even notice when the hunters had woken up and begun to watch him. He didn't notice when Artemis returned from driving the moon across the sky. The only thing he saw was his enemy, the ice dummies he had fashioned not after one of his previous foes, but after himself. He had promised Thalia he wouldn't 'do anything stupid.' So he didn't. Instead of taking his own life he killed his ice doppelgängers. He fought like this for hours and hours. No one tried to stop him. They could clearly see that if they intervened, they would be as dead as the ice foes. Around lunchtime they began to see a slow in his sword swings. His ice dummies began to become water dummies and eventually he just stopped. He fell to his knees and just stared into nothingness as tears strewn down his face. Thalia looked to her mistress for permission to approach the distraught demigod. As she neared him Percy slowly capped riptide to show her he was done fighting.

"Percy? What happened?" Percy just looked at her for a moment trying to decide if he should tell her.

"I had a dream." He signed numbly.

"You're a demigod. You have dreams all the time. Why was this one different?" Percy suddenly became acutely aware that all the hunters were watching him and listening in on the conversation as best they could. Thalia took notice of this. "They can't understand you anyways; they never made an effort to learn. Now what was your dream about?"

"Annabeth… how she died, her last words, it just hit me hard." He signed a tear rolling down his cheek. He felt bad lying to her, but he couldn't tell her that he was abused. He was the 'savior' of Olympus. Thalia hugged him. The hunters hissed in protest, but she didn't care. Her cousin was distraught and she had to fix him.

She whispered in his ear, "Their deaths were not your fault. They never were your fault and they never will be. Do you understand me?" Percy nodded unconvincingly. "Good, now let's go get some chow I'm famished."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thalia's POV ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Percy stood up and trudged toward the kitchens. Thalia didn't think that he believed her. Percy didn't even acknowledge the hunters as he passed which was completely out of character. That dream must really have hit home. Artemis approached her as the hunters dispersed. "He is still dreaming of her death?"

"So he says." Artemis raised her eyebrow. "He was lying through his teeth, figuratively"

"So he has begun lying to us about something." Thalia nodded

"It would seem so." She said. "Percy is a naturally honest person. I am worried about what he is lying about. If he felt the need to hide it…" she trailed off.

"For now we will leave it be, but we will keep an eye on him."

"Yes, milady."

A week later the hunt got a big mission. There was a pack of hellhounds and _dracaenae_. It was going to be the first mission that they let Percy participate in. Several hunters were going to be fighting on the ground with their knives. So it was the perfect time to let Percy blow off some steam. The fight went well enough. Percy took down most of the _dracaenae_ while the hunters focused on the hellhounds. The fight ended with just a few scratches to go around. As a 'reward,' the hunters were given permission to go to camp half-blood for the week of the winter solstice. Thalia could tell that Percy was nervous about his return to camp. He hadn't been back since before he had been kidnapped. Nico had im'ed her to tell her that the campers didn't believe that Percy was alive. Thalia assured him that Percy was very much alive. She also double checked to make sure that he and Grover had learned to read sign language. They had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Percy's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The walk up half-blood hill felt like an eternity to Percy. He was filled with anticipation and apprehension. He was nervous about how everyone would react to him being back. Also with his nightmares about Gabe he was fairly jumpy. He had had a few close calls with the hunters. Thalia would go to pat him on the back and he would shy away. As they reached the top of the hill Chiron galloped to meet them. He bowed to Lady Artemis and politely said hello to the rest of the hunters. As the hunters continued into camp Chiron waited for Percy to catch up. Percy knew it was coming. He had prepared himself for it. Chiron would pat him on the shoulder and ask how he was doing. Nothing dangerous or harmful, but as Chiron went to pat him the image of Gabe backhanding him flickered in his mind. He couldn't stop the flinch. He immediately brought his hand to his neck to massage it. He signed that he had a crick in his neck. Chiron eyed him warily, but didn't question him. Percy mentally chided himself for his stupidity.

"There are some people here who are anxious to see you, Percy." He said instead. Percy smiled. He was excited to see his old friends. He missed Nico and Grover. They continued down the hill toward the pavilion. They had arrived just in time for lunch. Nico saw him first.

"Percy!" he shouted. Percy soon found himself enveloped in a bear hug. He was surprised that someone as small as Nico could give such a strong hug. He then felt another presence join the hug, Grover. Percy smiled. It was good to know he still had friends at camp. He tried not to pay attention to Chiron quietly discussing something with Artemis, glancing over at him every once and a while. No, he was determined to enjoy his visit to camp. And with that thought in mind he went to eat lunch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Artemis's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chiron came up to her as Percy was being bombarded with I missed you's and hows the hunt treating you?'s.

"Lady Artemis, you are not going to like what I have to say, but I need to put this fear to rest here and now before we continue." Artemis nodded her consent for him to continue. " is there any possibily that the hunters have hit Percy?" Artemis's anger flaired.  
"how dare you accuse the hunters o-" she stopped herself. "why do you think that?"

"he flinched. It was barely noticeable. He tried to pass it off as a crick in his neck. I think Percy was abused. I just wanted to rule out any possibilities."

"No the hunters have not hit Percy because Percy has not even been alone with the hunters yet. Although, this may explain why he was lying to Thalia."

"Percy never lies. It must be big for him to keep this from her."

"for now all we can do is observe." They glanced over at Percy as he made his way to the Poseidon table

"I take it that the hunt hasn't accepted Percy yet."

"No, he spends most of his time doing menial work, chores and such. He never trains with the girls. If he needs to pass them he always skirts around the edge of the group with his head bowed respectfully. It doesn't help that the girls don't even try to communicate."

"They will warm up to him eventually. Percy just is good to be around. I think everyone who meets him changes in some way. Oh, Dionysius said that he wanted to speak with Percy. Something about making sure that his stay in Tartarus didn't leave any madness in him."

"Alright, I will send him over this evening. I want him to enjoy the day." With that they went to the head table to eat, both silently promising themselves to keep a watchful eye on the sea prince


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Thanks for all the great reviews. I appreciate the support. Warning: any mention of the abuse that Percy received will try to be kept to a minimum to keep the T rating. If I feel there is a more graphic scene, I will post a warning just before and after and do a sum up.

**I need input. I'm not completely sure where I am going with this. I need a bad guy… any ideas. I do take suggestions but will not promise that all will be used.**

Chapter 4 – I'm Not Mad!

The day passed fairly uneventful for Percy. He was thrilled that Nico and Grover had learned sign language for him. It was a breath of fresh air to be around people who actually wanted him around. The hunters were always so cold to him, that Percy didn't even realize he had lost his smile. But being around the campers he found himself grinning for the first time in over a month. It was great to see the Stolls goofing off and Katie yelling at them. Even Clarisse was a sight for sore eyes. She actually hugged him, and whispered in his ear "not bad prissy. We missed you, but if you dare tell a soul you will regret it." Percy just laughed, and then froze. They had been near the archery range when it happened. The hunters all looked up perplexed. Thalia was shocked. Percy hadn't laughed since the war. Aware of the stares directed at him he shook it off and the group continued on with the day; Percy's smile never left his mouth.

Then in the evening, just after dinner Artemis came up to him. "Perseus, we would like for you to have a meeting with Mr. D tonight." Percy raised an eyebrow in question "it is to make sure that your stay in Tartarus did not leave any adverse effects." Artemis watched in surprise as Percy's eye turned dark, his face turning from carefree curiosity to quiet rage. However, Artemis thought for a moment she had seen terror.

"I'm not mad." He signed firmly and turned and walked away. Artemis sighed._ This is not going to be easy. _

As he walked away Percy was fuming. They wanted him to talk to the god of Madness. He wasn't crazy; He was just distraught. But he didn't want to talk to Mr. D for another reason. He looked too much like Gabe, both in likeness and to some extent attitude. Mr. D would have to delve into Percy's thoughts also. He couldn't let anyone know he had been abused… or about the mark. No, they couldn't know what Gabe and his friends did.

Percy took some time to calm down and make a plan before he went to the campfire. When he sat down, Grover asked if anything was wrong. Percy told them that he was just tired. Toward the end of the campfire, Artemis spoke in Percy's mind. _Come to the big house now._ Her voice left no room for an argument. Percy excused himself and left. When he got to the big house he found Mr. D, Chiron, and Lady Artemis waiting for him. He took a deep breath and signed, "If I must do this then I am only talking to Mr. D." Percy saw the anger flare up in his charge's eyes, but he refused to back down. Chiron looked resigned, almost like he had expected this. Chiron put a hand on the moon goddess's shoulder. Finally, she nodded. Percy followed Mr. D into the house. They went to a back room so they could have some privacy. Percy was shaking. Maybe being alone with the god had been a bad idea. Finally, Mr. D spoke, "are you ready? This may hurt a little."

"No," Percy signed. "First you must swear on the river Styx not to share what you learn with anyone."

The god regarded him for a moment with cold eyes then took the oath. "Let's begin." It took Mr. D very little time to sort through his time in Tartarus. There was little there that needed fixing. He and Annabeth had been able to hold their own very well throughout the experience. Percy knew the moment that the god discovered his secret. Even Mr. D couldn't stop himself from flinching at seeing such a young child beaten by an adult. Then when he saw the first rape he began cursing rapidly in ancient Greek. Percy flinched away from him in clear terror. He apologized and continued through Percy's memories. He saw everything including the night of the mark. At the end the god informed Percy that he was not insane, but that he would have to work to overcome his fear. He also strongly recommended that Percy tell someone. Percy nodded his thanks and left.

Percy slept in the Poseidon cabin so that he didn't bother the hunters. The rest of the week Percy put his meeting with Mr. D out of his mind. He just tried to enjoy being among friends. He found that he wouldn't dwell on it as much when he was doing things with people as opposed to alone like he had been for the past month. Then the week vacation was over and the hunt returned to the wild. That's when things began to go downhill.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Thank you all for such great reviews. Love the help. This chapter might make some of you mad and for that I am sorry. However, it is important. Thanks for the help, still need a bad guy, he/she is coming in soon. I want to do someone original. Let me know your ideas.

Chapter 5 – Cruel Confrontations

The hunt quickly went back to the same routine as before they visited camp. However, the hunters decided that is Percy was happy enough to laugh with his friends then he was well enough to handle some 'harmless' pranks. They started out small: dirtier laundry, over dulled arrowheads, small stuff. But that wasn't enough for them. Soon, they started getting bolder: undoing the tent's straps, sending him floating down the river, insects in his bed, getting him caught in a hanging trap. Percy tried to stay polite and respectful. He understood that he deserved this. He was a male, and males were scum. He knew that he was scum. Therefore he had no excuse to fight it. But one day one of the pranks went too far. He was a wolf and the hunter's wolves had kindly allowed him to tag along on today's hunt. They were even letting him take point. Percy was focused on the deer trail he was following. He wasn't watching his feet and all of a sudden, SNAP. It was a bear trap, and it had snapped itself around Percy's back paw. He howled in pain. Losing focus on his form he changed back into a human. This only made it worse. Percy was only vaguely aware of the sound of someone running away through the forest or the fact that Silver, Artemis's wolf, had sent one of the wolves for help, or that a couple of the wolves were licking at his wound willing it to stop bleeding. All Percy was aware of was the pain. Soon the wolf returned with Thalia and Lady Artemis. Thalia quickly released the trap from Percy's ankle eliciting another scream from him. Lady Artemis studied the tracks on the forest floor. Right by where the trap was there was a long skid mark. It looked like as opposed to placing the trap and leaving it someone had slid it out with perfect timing so that Percy would naturally step right on it. Someone had hurt Percy intentionally. Artemis started to worry if the hunter's really were abusing Percy. Thalia fed Percy some ambrosia and his leg stopped bleeding. Percy realized that to return to camp he would have to lean on Thalia and Artemis for support. Then he realized on four legs it was easier to limp. He quickly reverted back to a wolf just as Lady Artemis realized they would have to help him walk. Artemis smiled. He was intent on not offending anyone. When they got back to the camp Percy immediately went to his tent. No one saw him for the rest of the evening.

The next day Percy's leg was well enough for Percy to do his normal chores. While he was sleeping he relived the events of the evening in an out of body experience. He saw the trap slide out of the underbrush, and then he stepped on it. He saw some branches rustle and he heard footsteps retreating. He came to the realization that one of the hunters had done this. When Percy woke, he just cried. He knew he deserved this, but did they have to be so punishing? At lunch Artemis informed them that she had to go to Olympus for a meeting, Thalia was to accompany her and Phoebe would be in charge. They flashed away as everyone finished their food. As Percy got up to clear the table he felt a hand on his shoulder and was promptly tossed across the forest floor. He stood to discover he was surrounded by the hunters. Percy bowed respectfully. Phoebe spoke first,

"We don't want you here, boy! You are nothing but dead weight. It is your fault that girl died. You are just a piece of filth that we have to bring along with us. I bet you can't even shoot an arrow straight can you?" Percy just shook his head no, not daring to look up. "You are a monster, just like any other boy, I bet you are not even a virgin, are you?" He flinched and again shook his head no. The girls all spat at him. "You couldn't even keep it in your pants, scumbag. Get out of our sight, we don't want you here." With that a hole opened up in the circle and Percy ran off to his tent. When he got there he started rubbing the inside of his thigh, where one fateful Gabe and his buddies had branded him. His mark, that cruel reminder, oh how he hated it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Artemis's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thalia and Artemis had left for the meeting early so that they could spy on what the hunt does when they were not around. We had to wait a little while, but soon enough one of the hunters came up behind Percy while he was cleaning the table. They grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him down on the ground. Artemis had to stop Thalia right there from charging. Then Phoebe spoke

"We don't want you here, boy! You are nothing but dead weight. It is your fault that girl died. You are just a piece of filth that we have to bring along with us. I bet you can't even shoot an arrow straight can you?" they watched as Percy shook his head no. "You are a monster, just like any other boy, I bet you are not even a virgin, are you?" this time Percy flinched and again shook his head no. "You couldn't even keep it in your pants, scumbag. Get out of our sight, we don't want you here." Percy ran off to his tent.

"Well, I guess he isn't the perfect guy after all" Artemis said glumly. She had really been hoping that Percy was different. That he would at least be willing to wait until he was married.

Thalia shook her head, "I don't get it. Annabeth swore on the river Styx that they hadn't had sex yet, she told me just before the final battle."

"What do you mean?"

"Percy was twelve when he met Annabeth. They have been dating since they were sixteen. Percy was never in a relationship serious enough have sex before that and Percy is too loyal to have a one-night stand. Gods, he hasn't even had enough time to, with all the prophecies thrown at him. Annabeth said he wanted to wait until they were married. She said Percy had good reason for wanting that. She wouldn't elaborate. That conversation had slipped my mind until now."

"Then if Percy hasn't had sex in the time between his twelfth birthday and now, why isn't he a virgin?"

"I don't know, milady."

With that they took off for the meeting. When they arrived they were the last ones. However one thing struck Artemis as out of place. Dionysus was sitting up very straight and was not reading his wine magazine. Everyone kept throwing glances at him in confusion. Zeus soon called the meeting to order.

"Alright, we all know why we are here. We are discussing Percy's state of mind and how his new life at the hunt is treating him. Dionysus, what is your analysis?"

"Percy's trip to Tartarus did not leave any insanity, just some reoccurring nightmares. Nothing that the boy can't handle." He said putting a little more emphasis on Tartarus.

"Is there anything else ailing my son?" Poseidon asked, picking up on the wine god's subtle que.

"Nothing I am at liberty to say."

"And why not?" the sea god asked darkly.

"The young man made me swear on the river Styx to keep what I saw in his mind to myself. I am not allowed to tell you anything. Only that the only person who knew was Annabeth."

"Annabeth went for rebirth" Hades inputted.

"Well, then for now we must allow him to trust us in his own time." Athena stated wisely, a tear trickling down her face at the memory of her lost daughter.

"How is his time in the hunt going, Artemis?" her father asked. This was what she had been dreading.

"Unfortunately the hunt has still not accepted him. They have been playing unkind tricks on him. However he has taken everything in stride. Due to a possibility that Chiron and I came up with, Thalia and I left early for the meeting today." Thalia nodded in agreement. "We hid just outside of camp to see what the hunters would do. Soon the hunters had surrounded him and were throwing cruel words at him." At this point Thalia cut in.

"They called him a monster, a scumbag, a piece of filth. The worst part? I think he believes them."

"How could he believe them? He is adorable!" The love goddess screamed.

"And you just let this happen?" Poseidon asked, his voice deathly quiet. Artemis shivered. The sea god's glare was cold and filled with anger. "he was supposed to be safe there. It was supposed to be a new home."

"I was not aware that the problem was this bad until yesterday. However, I believe he needs to earn their respect himself. Otherwise it will always be forced."

"Fine." Poseidon forced out the word.

"I believe this meeting is adjourned." Zeus said quietly. Poseidon flashed out immediately.

When Artemis and Thalia returned to camp, Thalia went to go check on Percy. Artemis sat and thought about Percy. She had been disappointed to learn that Percy had not kept his virginity, but Thalia said that he and the daughter of Athena hadn't been together. The boy was just getting curiouser and curiouser. Just then Thalia came running back.

"He's gone." She shouted.

"Breath, what do you mean he is gone?"

"he left a note." She said handing it to her mistress.

_Dear Lady Artemis,_

_I have tried to be a good servant for the hunters, but I do not believe that they want or need me here. I know that I promised to protect the hunt. However I don't think that I am the best person for the job. I am just a foolish boy anyway. I do not deserve to be a part of the hunt. Please forgive me for leaving. I will be there when you need me, but I think it is best if I am not around._

_I'm sorry…_

_Perseus Jackson_

_P.S. Thalia, thanks for being my cousin._

Artemis just stared at the note. He gave up.

"there is more to this than just the hunter's verbal abuse. There is no way that he would let them get to him this much."

"Milady, we have to find him. He is a big three kid. The monsters will be after him in an instant."

"Thalia, you hunt him. Bring some wolves with you. Pray to me when you have located him. I am going to have a little chat with the hunters."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Percy's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Percy had left camp as soon as he had reached his tent. He pocketed his savings of drachmas, denarii, and mortal cash. Within an hour he had reached the nearest town. He had a fake id courtesy of the Hermes cabin, but had never used it. But today… Today Percy did not even want to remember his own name. so he went into the pub and sat down at the bar. He started with beer and soon moved on to rum. He just kept drinking and drinking. He didn't want to remember the life draining out of Annabeth's body or Gabe hitting him every day or Gabe and his buddies coming over for poker night and torturing him. No he didn't want to remember it. so he kept drinking hoping that it would all just go away. That is, until someone stopped him from picking up his next drink. He looked up and found himself staring into two very angry electric blue eyes.

"We need to talk."


	6. Chapter 6

I AM SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY ON UPDATING. I WAS HIT WITH HORRIBLE WRITER'S BLOCK AND JUST COULD NOT FND THE TIME TO WRITE. THINGS WILL GET BETTER AND LESS ANGSTY SOON.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Gold Testament. There was a review that I very much appreciate from Gold Testament. It pointed out an important bit of information that I did not thoroughly explain. Artemis did indeed allow the hunters to insult Percy. For two reasons, one he is a male, and if they encountered another male on the hunt that is how they would treat him as the lower half of the species. And two, she does intend to intervene after she knows more about the situation, him not being a virgin made her unhappy she agreed with her hunters that he was a horny SOB because she doesn't know the circumstance that he lost it in. her disappointment in her hunters at their overall behavior is shown in this chapter.

Chapter 6 – Anger

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Artemis's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"All hunters' front and center" Artemis called authoritatively. Within minutes all 20 hunters had assembled. "Why have you been so cruel to Percy?" She asked. The hunters started in confusion.

"Milady, I mean no disrespect, but he is a boy. He doesn't deserve to be here and we shouldn't have to put up with him."

"do you all believe that?" the hunters nodded.

"how many of you know how old Percy was when he started camp?"

"twelve" several called out

"how many of you know of his first quest?"

"The master bolt, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Percy only went on his first quest to get his mom back from hades who had kidnapped her. What about his second quest?"

"The golden fleece."

"He came across that by happenstance. He ran from camp to rescue his satyr friend. The Golden Fleece was what the daughter of Ares was searching for they just happened to work together to fulfill their goals. He was never officially given credit for the quest since he was never declared as part of the quest. His third quest?"

"To find you"

"Yes, who was in charge of that quest?"

"Zoe" the hunters bowed their head in respect for their fallen comrade.

"Did you know that Percy uses the sword that Zoe made for Hercules?" the shook their heads no "She told him as she was dying that there was finally someone she was proud to have carry riptide. Also he took the sky from me willingly to allow me to defeat Atlas. He did not have any belief that he could best the titan. So he made sure someone who could was fighting him. his fourth quest?

"The battle of the labyrinth?"

"During his travels in the labyrinth he and his friends found Pan. He was blessed by Pan. I personally believe that Pan always had a good sense of character. He would not bless someone who was not deserving. His fifth year?"

"Manhattan, he killed Kronos"

"Indeed, and he was offered godhood." Some hunters looked up in surprise. "He turned it down and instead asked that all the minor gods be recognized and that all demigods be claimed by their thirteenth birthday. He was then kidnapped by my stepmother and was sent to Alaska to free Thanatos. Then he went to Rome and Greece as one of the seven. There he lost his love and cut out his tongue. On Olympus the fates came and told us that Percy needed a purpose for his life. We could not send him back to camp. They told us that he would likely end up committing suicide if we did. The only place left for him was here with us."

"Now, I have a few more questions. How many times has Percy tried to flirt with you?" None of them spoke. "I will take your silence as Zero. Has he ever shown any of you disrespect?" again she was met with silence. "Now apart from him being a boy, what reason do you have for being angry with him?"

"Milady! He isn't even a virgin." Phoebe complained.

"He is a teenage male. It was to be expected. Now Thalia has gone looking for him and we are going to bring him back. I was hoping that you would make an effort to branch out to him. He has politely given you a great deal of space. Also, the pranks need to stop. The bear traps yesterday went too far. Perseus is a son of the big three like Thalia, if the wolves hadn't been there and there was a monster attack, he would have been defenseless." Just then Artemis heard a prayer from Thalia

_Please help me._

"I need to go assist my lieutenant in picking up our runaway. When we get back, I want you all, to formally apologize to Percy. He is doing the best he can… Just give him a chance."

Artemis immediately flashed to Thalia's location.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thalia's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thalia was frustrated. Her search had led her to a Bar. She asked the wolves to wait outside and not be seen. As she went in she saw Percy sitting at the bar alone with about ten shot glass and a nearly full pint of beer in front of him. She came up quietly behind him and placed a hand on his arm just as he went to raise his glass.

"We need to talk."

Thalia watched as recognition flashed in his eyes. He carefully sat his glass down and turned on his barstool to face her. 'I'm not drunk' he signed.

"I find that hard to believe. You do see how much you have been drinking right? Percy you are only seventeen! There is no way you can not be intoxicated."

'Unless you literally cannot get I-N-T-O-X-I-C-A-T-E-D. My ability as a son of Poseidon causes my body to flush simple toxins from my system. I am not drunk because I can't get drunk. I can't get high either. I can be poisoned but higher level drugs, but alcohol does nothing.'

"That doesn't matter we are going back to camp now."

"I can't do that. I'm not wanted."

_Please help me._

"Percy, You have to give it time. The girls are hard pressed to believe that you are not the kind of male they think you are. You need to remember that most of the hunter's were hurt by a male in the past."

"Then all a do is antagonize them for being what I am."

At that moment Artemis arrived.

"I can't believe you were foolish enough to run away."

"I was protecting you."

"protecting us? How do you figure that one."

"being around vile humans, helps mask my scent. My mom did that with my stepdad."

"perc, what are you talking about Paul was great."

"not Paul, Gabe."

"no matter your reasons you are coming back to camp. The hunters will apologize in the morning. They were out of line. Come."

With that Artemis flashed them back to camp.

Upon returning to camp, Percy went straight to sleep. The following morning, Perseus was immediately met by the hunters who apologized and promised to give him a chance. Their first plan to help do that was to teach him how to shoot a bow. Percy adamantly shook his head no, signing that he was a failure and he didn't want to hurt them.

"Nonsense, no one is that bad." Elizabeth, a huntress from renaissance era England, exclaimed. Percy took a minute to carefully place the hunters behind him and off to the side. He then took water from the nearby pond and made an ice wall that the hunters could see through. He took riptide to it to verify its strength. Once he was satisfied he took up the bow that was sitting on the table waiting for him. he knocked an arrow and aimed. He released and the arrow flew. He then set the bow down. He then released the hunters from behind the ice wall. They were all staring at him in stunned silence. Thalia was the first to break out of her reverie. "I thought Chiron was joking. You really did get an arrow snagged in his tail, didn't you?" Percy nodded and all the girls started laughing. The arrow much to Percy's dismay had ended up in the one place he hadn't expected. His ice wall, two centimeters from the top. He had been aiming diagonally away from that. He quickly signed "I'm good at throwing knives though!" He quickly took his emergency knife that he always kept with him and before Thalia could translate, he turned and threw the blade. It landed dead center in the bull's-eye. The huntresses gave out a low whistle.

"That is something we can work with." Percy smiled. Perhaps we can be friends after all.


End file.
